Field Blend, Duoro, Portugal

You are blindfolded & rouse in a damp cellar, bound by vines in a dim and shadowy cave of fermentation. "Don’t ask about the grapes”, is whispered from behind a wood barrel. Lol welcome to our Fifty Shades of Grapes, but maybe we agree! Field blends certainly add to the mystery of this Portuguese romance. Innovative, young winemaker Tiago Sampaio began this project in 2007 after spending his formative years scurrying around farms & vineyards with his grandfather. Here, over twenty types of vines cling to angular schist and granite slopes that give dynamic tension and that it factor. Feral vanilla (you heard us), the first pomegranate ever, Campino strawberry yoghurt candies, watermelon perfume, lemon oil & off the charts wet rocks. Drink alongside braiding garlic, fermenting vegetables & molding warm beeswax into small poppets.